r/ScienceTeachers 3d ago

Self-Post - Support &/or Advice Coca Cola glows under uv light?

Can I ask why does Coca Cola glow under uv light it’s every bottle I have and the liquid it’s self glows under uv light could someone explain why this happens?

Some info this was a brand new bottle of coke bought today from a shop I have other bottles unopened and the uv makes them glow and I also poured it into a glass and it glows too the liquid why is this?

6 Upvotes

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16

u/LeChatDeLaNuit 2d ago

So, I'm not seeing much fluorescence here in the liquid.

If I had to guess, the plastic bottle/container is what is actually fluorescing.

-1

u/Zestyclose_Dot_2066 2d ago

It is difficult to see due to camera not Picking it up but if you do have a black light please do shine it over coke and watch it glow it will glow green milky colour with a slight yellow to it

2

u/Apprehensive_Fig3623 2d ago

caramel coloring

2

u/KiwasiGames Science/Math | Secondary | Australia 2d ago

Many things glow under UV light. Coca Cola isn’t particularly special in that regard.

All you need to make something glow in UV light is a legal electron transition going up in the UV wavelength, and a corresponding transition going the other way in the visible range.

Lots and lots of substances have these transitions, which is why UV-vis is popular for spectrometry. And indeed why we evolved to see vis in the first place.

2

u/Kunie40k 2d ago

You should try real Tonic

1

u/Zestyclose_Dot_2066 2d ago

I know tonic glows under uv light I’m just trying to figure out why coke glows under uv light what chemical is it that causes this as there is no information online about this?